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PENSACOLA |
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You might be inclined to overlook PENSACOLA , tucked away as it is
at the west end of the Panhandle. The city, on the northern bank of the
broad Pensacola Bay, is five miles inland from the nearest beaches, and
its prime features are a naval aviation school and some busy dockyards.
Pensacola is, however, worth a visit - its white beaches are relatively
untouched, and it is an historic center: occupied by the Spanish from
1559. Only the hurricane two years later that ended their settlement
prevented it becoming the oldest city in the US. It repeatedly changed
hands among the Spanish, French and British before becoming the place
where Florida was officially ceded by Spain to the US in 1821.
Pensacola was already a booming port by c.1900, when the opening of the
Panama Canal was expected to boost its fortunes still further. The many
new buildings that appeared in the Palafox District , around the
southerly section of Palafox Street, in the early 1900s - with their
delicate ornamentation and attention to detail - reflect the optimism of
the era. Between 1870 and 1930, Pensacola's professional classes took a
shine to the area called North Hill , just across Wright Street from
Palafox, commissioning elaborate homes in a plethora of fancy styles.
Strewn across the fifty-block area are Neoclassical porches, Tudor
Revival cottages, low-slung California bungalows, and the rounded towers
of the finest Queen Anne homes. Though none is open to the public, you
can see them on special tours.
In earlier times, Native Americans, pioneer settlers and seafaring
traders had gathered to swap, sell and barter on the waterfront of the
Seville District , about half a mile east of Palafox Street. Those who
did well took up permanent residence, and many of their homes remain in
fine states of repair, forming - together with several museums - the
Historic Pensacola Village (Tues-Sat 10am-4pm; $6). Each ticket is valid
for two days and allows access to all of the museums and former homes in
an easily navigated four-block area. Inside the US naval base on Navy
Boulevard, about eight miles southwest of central Pensacola, the Museum
of Naval Aviation exhibits US naval aircraft. They range from the first
flimsy seaplane acquired in 1911 to the Phantoms and Hornets of more
recent times (daily 9am-5pm; free, IMAX $5.50; tel 1-800/247-6289, ).
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Vacation Rentals in Pensacola |
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from $59.91
USD